Bowling ball cleaning and polishing machine



Jan. 18, 1944. J. P. KNIPP 2,339,573

BOWLING BALL CLEANING AND POLISHING MACHINE Filed NOV. 27,-1940 Patented Jen. is, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE BOWLING BALL cmamc AND rousmnc Joseph P. Knipp, Long Beach, Calif. Application November 27, 1940, Serial No. 367,367

V 3Claims.

My invention relates to a bowling ball cleaning and polishing apparatus and more particularly to devices which are especially used and adapted for speedily rubbing the ball surface with suitably set and and adjustably arranged brushes for causing said ball surface to be quickly and effectively cleaned and polished. Also for removing therefrom any and all foreign substance which adheres and collects upon said ball surface during its rolling over the surface of the bowling alley and its apparatus.

Accordingly an object of my invention is to provide an apparatus which is adapted for handling and for holding said bowling ball in place having a set of suitable brush members adjustably mounted therein for forcing the brush bristles against the ball surface, also having a suitable revolving member mounted therein for-depositing said ball thereon and for revolving and spinning it in every direction and thereby causing said ball surface to be thoroughly cleaned and polished.

Another object of my invention is to provide said apparatus with means for holding two or more bowling balls in place, having same surrounded by a set of suitable brush member means the bristles of which surround said balls and in contacting same with said brush bristles cause said balls to be guided into and be held in center position, and in addition, having said brush means mounted upon a set of suitable flexible strip bracket means which will resiliently urge said brushes against the bowling ball surfaces, also having a suitable turning friction table means revolubly mounted under said bowling balls for revolving and for spinning same in an angularly outward direction and about their respective centers and thereby cleaning, brushing and polishing their surfaces effectively and efficiently.

Further object of my invention is to provide said apparatus with means' for depositing said bowling balls in place, having a suitable ball spinning and revolving means revolubly mounted therein and operated by suitable electric motor for revolving said balls when in position, also having a plurality of sectional brush means adjustably mounted in said apparatus and disposed in close proximity to said balls for centralizing, holding and guiding said balls'into place and position regardless of their diametrical size and thereby providing an apparatus which may be used for universal service.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention as will hereinafter more fully ap-' pear, I attain by the construction herein shown on the drawing and described in the specification, forming a part of my application.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawing, in which the similar reference characters denote the similar parts.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is the perspective view of the ball cleaning and polishing apparatus, showing a pair of bowling balls in place.

Fig. 2 is the horizontal plan view of the apparatus, showing the balls removed and showing the position of the cleaning brushes mounted over the spinning disc and operated by an electric motor, taken on the line and in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of the Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is the vertical sectional view of the apparatus, taken on the line 3-3 of the Fig. 2, showing the balls in place.

Fig. 4 shows the fragmentary sectional view of the brushes and mounting brackets, showing the ball in position and between the brush bristles, taken on the line 4-4 of the Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows the plan view of the brushes, taken from the top, showing said brushes in collapsed position when not in service, also showing same in extended position as indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the brushes and the ball, said brushes are shown mounted upon and attached to the brackets and showing the compensating springs attached to their ends.

Describing my invention more in detail, said invention comprises a housing 2 which is mounted upon a suitable base member 4 having the top end 6 covered with a cover member 8 which is curved at the outer edge l0 and attached to said housing top end 6, also having a pair of inwardly curved openings l2 and [4 adapted for directing the bowling balls I 6 into place.

As shown in Fig. 2, said housing 2 of the apparatus is adapted for holding and accommodating only two of the bowling balls l6, and it may readily be seen that said apparatus may be easily arranged and constructed for handling four or more such balls, also that said apparatus may be constructed for. handling only one ball 11 so desired, without appreciable change of the housing 2 and the construction of the entire apparatus and its mechanism.

To that end, and for the best, simple and the most effective and efficient construction, said apparatus within the center section of said housing 2, is provided with the ball driving and spinning device, generally designated by numeral 20, which as shown in Fig. 3 comprises a spinning disc member 22 having a frictional ring layer 24 positioned at its outer surface 28, which is made preferably out of resilient material such as rubber or the like, also having the underside of said disc member 22 equipped with a suitable pulley member "which is attached thereto by means of bolts 30.

Said pulley member 28 is mounted upon a vertical shaft 32 which is held in place by a cross pin 33, and is also supported in its position by means of a radial bearing 34 mounted within a suitable bearing housing 38 and which is held in place by means of brackets 38 the ends of which are attached to the base member 4 by means of screws 40, while the bottom end 42 of said shaft 32 is mountedwithin a suitable thrust bearing 44 which is also mounted within a bearing housing 40 and mounted securely upon said base member 4 for holding said shaft 32 in a vertical position. I

Although it has been found that the weight of a ball or a number of balls I 8 will hold said spinning disc member 22in position and will prevent the shaft end 42 from slipping out of the thrust bearing 44, nevertheless for the purpose of security said shaft 32 may, if so desired, be provided with a collar 48 which is mounted thereon and in position is adjacent to the under side A said spinning device 20.

For driving said apparatus, a suitable electric motor 54 is provided therein having its drive shaft connecting said driving pulley 50 and in order to hold said belt member 52 taut at all times, said motor 54 is mounted upon a vertically hinged bracket 56, having its mounting plate I8 fastened upon said base member 4 as shown, and thereby allowing the weight of said motor 54 to bear outwardly and permitting no slippage of said belt member 52 while said apparatus is in operation.

As shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, said ball l6 lies on top of said ring layer 24 and at the edge of said spinning disc member 22, having a portion which is an approximate of one-third of said ball I 6 extending outwardly and protruding through said openings i2 and i4 each of which is provided with a set of suitable brushes generally designated by numeral 60, which consists of brush sections 62, 84 and 66, preferably of arcuate construction and having bristles 88 mounted within the inner edge of the brush back I0, whiletheir ends 12 and 14 are connected and held together by means of suitable compensating spring members 16, so that said set of brushes 80 may be expanded and spread around said ball l6, further, said spring members I6 having sufllcient tension for holding said bristles 68. against the ball surface and therefore compensating for any diametrical size of a ball when cleaning and polishingit and while said ball i6 is rotating.

In order to hold said set of brushes 80 in central position each section thereof, namely 62, 64

and 66, is provided with a suitable and flexible strip bracket member 18, the upper end of which is attached thereto by means of screw 80 while the bottom end 82 is mountedupon the :base member 4 and therefore guiding, directing and controlling the position of saidball 16 during the operation of said apparatus and also maintaining said ball It at all times in its central position regardless of its size.

While I have thus described my invention with great particularity, it will be clear that the same may be modified throughout a wide range. I accordingly do not propose to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown on the drawing and described in the specification, but

reserve the right in practice to make the necessary changesand modifications therein which may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention.

1. In a bowling ball cleaning and polishing apparatus of the class described, comprising a base, a housing mounted upon said' base and having a top section, a cover disposed upon said top section of said housing, an opening in said cover having its annular inner edge curved inwardly and downwardly, a set of flexible bracket strip means mounted upon said base having their ends extending upwardly and terminating beneath said curved edge. of said opening, a set of arcuate brush section'means mounted upon said extended ends of said flexible bracket strip means having their brush bristles resiliently urged toward the center of said opening for receiving, holding and centralizing a bowling ball therebetween, a ball spinning means disposed below said set of arcuate brush section means, and driving means connected to said ball spinning means for revolving said bowling ballbetween said arcuate ,brush section means.

2. In a bowling ball cleaning and polishing apparatus of the class described, comprising a housing, a base in said housing, a cover member disposed over said base and positioned at the top of said housing, an opening disposed in said cover member, a circular spinning disc means horizontally disposed and revolubly mounted within said housing having its outer edge disposed beneath the center of said opening, a set of flexible bracket strip means vertically disposed within saidhousing and mounted upon said base having their upwardly extended ends terminating beneath the edge of said opening in said cover member, a set of arcuate brush segment means mounted upon said extended ends of saidflexible bracket strip means having its brush bristles extending inwardly and, resiliently urged toward the center of said opening for receiving, holding and controlling a bowling ball .therebetween, aset of compensation spring means connecting adjacent arcuate brush segment means in pairs, for centralizing and for urging said bristles of said brush section means into their central position and for supplementing the resilient action of said set of flexible bracket means, and driving means disposed within said housing and connected to said horizontally disposed circular spinning disc means for upholding said bowling ball and for maintaining same between said set of said arcuate brush segment means and for revolving said bowling ball in a circular direction.

3. In a portable ball cleaning and polishing apparatus of the class described, comprising a housing having a base and a cover, an opening in said cover, a spinning disc means revolubly mounted upon a vertical shaft and having the disc rim surface disposed beneath the center of said opening in said cover, a frictional ring disposed upon said disc rim surface, a motor memin normal position, and a set of compensating spring means each connecting the ends of adjacent members of said set of arcuate brush means for centralizing and for urging said brush bristles upon the ball surface when placed upon said frictional ring of said spinning disc means and for supplementing the resilient action of said flexible bracket means when said spinning disc means is rotating during the operation of 10 said apparatus.

JOSEPH P. KNIPP. 

